Configuring Microhard Connectivity with Skydio X2D
Published: Updated:
Robotics and Autonomous Systems - Air (RAS-A MAVLink Control Link Interoperability Profile v1.2
Set up an external Microhard radio and integrate it with Skydio X2D via MAVlink.
[note]Contact Fedsupport@Skydio.us for additional information or help.[/note]
Required
- A Skydio X2D drone with software version 24.19.39 or above
- A Microhard development kit or other packaged radio (UxV SRM, Tomahawk MxC-Mini) that allows direct access to the user interface
- A device with access to the Internet
- The current Microhard admin username and password
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- Default is Username: Admin Password: Admin
VideoX2D supports RTP or RTSP video delivery. The vehicle's configuration determines which video protocol is used. Only RTP or RTSP can be active at one time. |
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RTPRTSP video is also delivered using the AVC (H.264) codec, and additionally multiplexes KLV metadata into an MPEG-TS container. eo.sdpo=- 0 0 IN IP4 127.0.0.1 s=No Name c=IN IP4 127.0.0.1 t=0 0 a=tool:libavformat 55.2.100 m=video 5600 RTP/AVP 96 a=rtpmap:96 H264/90000 a=fmtp:96 packetization-mode=1 ir.sdpv=0 o=- 0 0 IN IP4 127.0.0.1 s=No Name c=IN IP4 127.0.0.1 t=0 0 a=tool:libavformat 55.2.100 m=video 5900 RTP/AVP 96 a=rtpmap:96 H264/90000 a=fmtp:96 packetization-mode=1 |
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RTSPRTSP video is also delivered using the AVC (H.264) codec and multiplexes KLV metadata into an MPEG-TS container. The video metadata section provides more details about the specific metadata included. There are separate endpoints for each camera stream using RTSP. The URIs to specify with many common clients, including ffplay, VLC, and gstreamer, are as follows: rtsp://192.168.42.10:5554/subject (EO stream) rtsp://192.168.42.10:6554/infrared (IR stream) |
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Video metadataX2D includes video metadata following the MISB 0601 UAS Datalink Local Set standard when using the RTSP video option.
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To configure the ground-side Microhard (MH)
The following settings need to be configured to establish an IP connection to the drone:
- RF channel
- Channel bandwidth
- RF mode
- Encryption type
- Network ID
- Encryption password
- IP address
- Netmask
Step 1 - Log in to the MH admin page (default IP 192.168.168.1) and navigate to the Network menu → LAN tab.
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Step 2 - Select Edit to display the LAN configuration options. Key requirements for a valid configuration:
Step 3 - Select Submit when you have configured the options
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This screenshot is an example of a valid LAN configuration. |
To configure the drone Microhard
Step 1 - Power on the X2D Step 2 - Attach a USB-C cable to the port on the top of the drone and connect the other end to a Mac or Linux computer, or a Windows PC with RNDIS support.
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Step 3 - Navigate to the radio configuration page: http://192.168.11.1/dev_index_free2fly.html#radio_config
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Step 4 - Populate the channel
Step 5 - Select Configure RF settings
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Step 6 - Verify connectivity
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Skydio MAVLink Connection Instructions
MAVProxyMAVProxy is a flexible, lightweight MAVLink Ground Control Station, but it is not easy to use for those without prior MAVLink experience. Download and installation instructions are available at: https://ardupilot.org/mavproxy/docs/getting_started/download_and_installation.html Step 1 - Install MAVProxy Step 2 - Connect to the drone with the command: mavproxy.py --master=udpout <vehicle_ip>:15667 |
QGroundControlQGroundControl (QGC) is a map-oriented MAVLink GCS driven primarily by a graphical user interface that does not require any direct MAVLink knowledge to operate. Step 3 - Download QGC
Step 4 - Launch QGC and select the global settings Q icon at the top left of the home screen Step 5 - Select the Application Settings tab from the menu |
Step 6 - Select Comm Links and Add Step 7 - Create a new link configuration
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After adding the server and clicking OK, QGC should connect to the drone and automatically take the user to a different screen where it complains about parameters missing from firmware. This is expected and does not need to be addressed for the X2D. |
Click OK to dismiss the warning, then Back at the upper-left corner. From there, make sure that “Fly View” is selected from the left-hand side of the screen and QGC will present a map view of the area around the drone, with the drone depicted as a red arrow. From this point, you should review the generic QGC documentation to learn the basics of platform tasking from Fly View: https://docs.qgroundcontrol.com/master/en/qgc-user-guide/fly_view/fly_view.html Note - QGC will currently only work with RTP streams. |
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